The present invention is directed to a sleeve for use in connection with gas bottle post valves.
Gas bottles have a variety of end uses. Such end uses range from various industrial applications, where a specified gas is required (ranging from inert gases, such as nitrogen, to oxygen gas), to medical uses where oxygen is to be administered to a patient in need of oxygen. Such bottles have a tubular valve stem extending from an end of the gas bottle for engagement with a gas delivery tube or pipe.
To insure the purity of the bottle content, it is important that a dust cover (or protective cover) be employed to cover the orifice in order to prevent the entry of dust and/or debris therein. It is also important that the dust cover be easy to install, while being retained on the bottle post valve stem during shipment, storage, and handling. It is further important that the dust cover be easy to remove.
Additionally, it is often uncertain if a gas bottle has been used, such that the bottle may be either full or empty. Such uncertainty would be a significant disadvantage in the instance where, for example, the bottle is an oxygen source for a person in need of administration of oxygen.
Conventional devices to seal gas valves suffer many disadvantages, such as being difficult to install or to remove; require threading of small parts; require pre-soaking, drying time or heat guns; result in poor fit; are vulnerable to tampering; may become brittle when exposed to heat or cold; etc.
A need accordingly exists for a method by which a gas bottle may be modified to clarify whether gas has been delivered by the bottle, or whether the bottle is unused, and which does not suffer from any of the disadvantages suffered by conventional devices.
Washers/seals are also used on medical gas oxygen regulators to ensure that the seal between the oxygen bottle and the regulator is tight. A tight seal reduces the possibility of oxygen leaking from the bottle during use, thus avoiding a safety hazard from occurring. While a variety of washers/seals are available for use with such regulators, the users of such oxygen bottles have a tendency to reuse the washers/seals. Repeated reuse has been found to diminish the ability of the washer/seal to provide a tight seal, thus resulting in oxygen gas leakage. A safety hazard thus exists.
A need accordingly exists to provide means to facilitate the use by the end user of fresh washers/seals during use of the oxygen bottle.